Process of producing gelatin forms or molds.



refrain einen.

AUoUsT LEUOHTER, on' BROOKLYN, Nnw YORK.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING GELATIN FORMS OR NIOLDS.y

Speceaton of Letters Patent.

Patented oet. .ea-1907.

Application tiled February 23, 1905. Serial No. 246,901.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST Lnocrrrnn, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Iiings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Gelatin Forms or Molds, oi which the following is a specification.

lhe invention relates to the art of producing orms or molds in reproduction of original models or patterns, p

for use in making molds in plaster or other soft mold material which are utilized, in customary ways, in the iinal production ol the articles represented by the said iorms. v

It is common in the art to produce gelatin iorms or molds l'roin and in the exact size ot original models or designs and to utilize these orms or molds in the making, l'rom them, of molds in plaster or other soft mold material.

illy invention resides in methods oi procedure by which I am enabled to produce the initial forms or molds in proportionately enlarged size from an original model or article and to vary this enlargement as may be required, whereby with the use of one original model or design to be copied, I am enabled to produce a form or mold exactly representing such model or article on an enlarged scale, and whereby also it' a still further enlargement is required I am enabled to reproduce in the composition this iirst form or mold and obtain an enlargement of it, and so on.

I prepare the composition for the form or mold of special materials and -first produce this form in the exact size oi the original article or model to be copied, and then I submit this form to a special bath whereby it is proportionately enlarged. Ii a further enlargement is desired I make another form or mold from the thus enlarged iirst form and then subject it to the enlarging bath whereby I obtain a second proportionate enlargement irom the original model or article, and I may secure a third and then a fourth enlargement, and

must appear on at least three sizes of spoons, to-wit: I

the table-spoon, dessert-spoon and 'tea-spoon. In accordance with my invention it is only necessary in the iirst instance to provide a model of the tea-spoon, since from this one model I can produce three composition forms or molds oi the exact size for the tea, dessert and table spoons, each of the two latter bearing the exact design of the original modelproportionately enlarged. The iirst composition'iorm or mold I would produce from the model if intended for tea-spoons would be l made in the ordinary way and would not necessarily involve the use of my invention, since my invention comprises the production of the forms or molds on enlarged scales from the originali IIence in carrying out my invention, aside from preparing the special form or mold to be used for tea-spoons, I produce from said model a lorm or mold Oi the size O the tea spoon but intended for dessert spoons, and I subject this orm or mold to my enlarging bath wherebyl it becomes proportionately enlarged and to the requirements for dessert spoons. This enlarged gelatin form may now be utilized in the proper way as an original model from which a further composition iorm or mold may be prepared, and which when prepared will be subjected to the bath and enlarged to the proper size for a tablespoon. Thus from the one original model I am enabled to produce forms or molds ior' tea, dessert and table spoons, whereby the expense of producing a special original model for each of these sizes of spoons is avoided.

In many instances several oi the composition i'orms or molds, all ol' the same size, may be produced from the one original model and variously enlarged in accordance with the length ol time they are permitted to remain in the enlarging bath, but there is a limit to which a lorm or mold may be properly enlarged and hence where excessive enlargements are desired, as i'rom a tea-spoon size to a table-spoon size, I first enlarge the tea-spoon lorin or mold to the proper size for a dessert spoon and lrom this prepare a second form or mold and enlarge it to the table-spoon size.

My process carried out in the natural way will produce exact proportionate enlargements.

l I illustrate in the accompanying drawings, as nearly as may be, my invention, Figure I being a top view ol thev lower section ol a casing in plaster or other suitable substance bearing a model prepared in exact size from an original article intended to be copied and enlarged, the article in this instance having been a representation of the head of a horse; Fig. 2 a vertical section through the two sections of said casing on the dotted line 2-2 of Fig. l and showing the gelatin lorm cast therein; Fig. 3 a like section of the gelatin forni alter having been removed from the casing of Fig. 2 and enlarged inand bythe enlarging bath, and Fig. 4 a top view Oi'same.

In the drawings l0, Il respectively denote the up per and lower sections Oi the casing oi plaster or .other suitable material prepared from an original article, l2 the gelatin form cast therein in exact size ol' the said original article, and 14 the same form after having i been enlarged in and by the enlarging bath.

In preparing the solution lor the forms or molds I make use of gelatin and gum tragacantli solution (water being the solvent) oi' a consistency capable of i passing through filtering paper, with a trace or' acetic` acid, preferably employing one part of gelatin to one and one-half parts of gum tragacanth. The exact proportions above specified of the gelatin and gum tragacanth ar'e not absolutely essential and they may be varied in accordance with the degree of enlargement desired and the natru'e of the form or mold to be produced, but the proportions specified are preferable as a general formula and are those that I have made use of with the best results. The solrrtion produced as above described enables the uniform and proportionate enlargement in the bath of the form or nrold, and the accomplishment of this resrrlt, which is of vital import-ance, has not heretofore, to my knowledge. been attained in this art. It is evident that a piece of diy gelatin submerged in water will first swell up and then fr'ill at its edges, while the more central portions remain firmer' and swell less, this being due to the fact that the orrter' portions of the gelatin absorb more water than the inner' ones; and if this piece of gelatin represented a form or' mold it would be obvious that the forni or mold in swelling would prcsent irregularities and distortions unlitting it for' practical use.

One of the main objects accomplished by me is the prevention of irregularities in the enlarging of the form or mold and in producing an exact proportionate enhr'gement of the form or` mold, and to attain this result l add in the solution a trace Vof acetic acid, which is a solvent of gelatin, and therefore when used in a sufficiently diluted state will facilitate and hasten the swelling up of the gelatin when the latter is in the bath, which, in the present instance, is a water bath. The necessity for obtaining a uniform swelling up of a for'm or mold is particrrlarly observable in the case of thick forms or' molds, and with the use of acetic acid I am enabled to secure a uniform enlarging of even a reasonably thick mold, the attainment of this result being due to the fact that I embody the acetic acid in the mold itself and risc for thc enlarging bath, by preference, plain cold running water.

I'Iaving prepared the solution for the forms or' molds and also the bath, the process of creating the forms or molds and then enlarging them may be proceeded with. The first step necessary is in performing the usual preliminary work of making the plaster molds or casings to surround the models or' patterns to be copied and into which the solution is poured to fill the space between the inner' wall of the plaster casing and the surface of the model or design to be reprodrrced, and I need not specifically describe the method of preparing these plaster' molds or casings, since I follow the ordinary methods in use in taking an elastic or glrre mold trom a model or pattern, I may say, however, that care shorrld be taken in preparing the plaster' mold or casing with the view of having the space between the inner wall of the casing and the face of the model or pattern of as nearly uniform diameter' as may be consistently possible, so that the composition form or mold when removed from the nrold or' pattern may be as nearly as possible of uniform thickness,

Having prepared the plaster casing I proceed at once in the ordinary way of pouring the gelatin solution, as prepared by me, into the said casing, and thereafter, at the proper time, remove the casing and strip the gelatin form or mold from the model or pattern. The gelatin form or mold tlnrs produced is immersed into the bath of cold water and allowed to remain until the dcsir'ed enlargement in its size has taken place or' until all of the enlargement that can well take place in on e operation has occurred. The action of the bath on the form or mold may be observed and when the form or mold has become enlarged to the desired size it may be removed from the bath. When the form or mold containing the acetic acid is placed in the water, the outside and more exposed portions of the same will first gradually release the acid, while the inner portions of the form or' mold necessarily retain the acid for a longer period and gradually discharge the acid as the outer portions of the form are relieved of it, and in this way a continuous imparting of the acid into the water bath takes place, with the result that the water penetrating the mold and absorbed by the same becomes more acid the deeper it penetrates and tlnrs creates a stronger' bath within the mold and is enabled, in this way, to effect. the even and proportionate enlargement of the nrold. In using acetic acid for this purpose it is important that only as little acid as may be enough to attain the result be employed, because the acid being a solvent of gelatin will naturally tend to weaken the elasticity and stengtlr of the form or mold and even impair' the setting of same if it should be used too freely.

The gum-tragacanth is used to increase the swelling capacity of the mold and also to secrue firmness in the enlarged form or mold.

In the practice of my invention I have found that a form or mold of the composition above specified will enlarge, at one operation, from a surface area of about eighteen square inches to a surface area of about thirtytwo square inches, the enlargement being proportionate and preserving the finest and most delicate modelation, even to the chasing marks present on the original model or pattern, and this is a highly important result, as may be realized, for illustration, in the enlargement of a portrait in bas-relief, in prodrrcing which, in accordance with my invention, not the slightest change in the expression of the face is perceptible. l have also, in practicing nry invention, successfully enlarged highly undercut work, small pieces of statuary and whole iigures.

After the gelatin form or' mold has remained in the bath a suitable length of time to secure the desired enlargement, I remove it from the bath and subject the same to a hardening or fixing process in or'der to render it suitable for use in taking the plaster' cast from it, this hardening or fixing process consisting simply in subjecting the then enlarged form or mold to a bath comprising saturated solution of alrnn with a trace of acetic acid in it. lThis bath slrorrld be used when it is in a very cold state. The hardening effect, of alum on gelatin is well known, but in myprocess I employ the acetic acid also so that it may counteract the contracting action the alum would otherwise have on the mold. .l'his acid and alrnn bath also creates such a chemical change in the form or mold, without disturbing or distorting its size or form, that after subjecting the form or mold for, say, half an hour, to the bath, the finest casts can be taken from it without any surface preparations, srrclr as are rrsually employed, being applied to the form or mold for preventing the sticking of the plaster thereto.

llO

The taking of a cast from a properly enlarged and hardened form or mold is the last step of one operation or ends one carrying out of the practice of my invention, since the essential feature accomplished by my invention is the production of the proportionately enlarged iorm or mold in condition tor use in preparingr therefrom the plaster casts or other soft molds.

It is obvious that the degree of enlargement of the form or mold is under absolute control, since the form or mold may be removed from the bath and subjected to the hardening process as soon as it has enlarged to the desired size.

Il it should happen that the gelatin form or mold alter remaining in the bath as long as it should stay there, for one operation, has not become enlarged to the extent desired, this being in a case where an excessive enlargement is required, I remove the form or mold from thc bath and harden it and then make a new gelatin form or mold, in the saine composition, lrom this enlai-ged i'orm and subject it to the enlarging bath, wliereby l may obtain a form or mold in exact reproduction, on au enlarged scale, of the original model or design, but more greatly enlarged than any enlargement could take place in one operation ot the bath, In carrying out this method of procedure I now have one form or mold representing one enlargement and a second iorm or mold representing a still greater enlargement, and it is obvious that I may repeat the operation until I obtain the several sizes of forms or molds I may desire or the iinal large size of mold that I may require. This operation of securing the several enlargements involves simply a repetition of the operation of securing one enlargement. Y A v In practicing this enlarging process I often use a negative form or mold instead of a positive form. It is a matter ot judgment when to use the positive and when to use the negative form, but in both methods excellent results are secured.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. 'lhe process ol producingl a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging the same, which consists in making the form or mold from a gelatin solution containing acetic acid, and then subjecting the same to a liquid bath adapted to enlarge said form or mold; substantially as set forth.

L. The process of producing a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging the same, which consists in making the form or mold from a gelatin solution containing acetic acid, then subjecting the same to a liquid bath adapted to enlarge said forni or mold, and linally hardening the same; substantially as set forth.

Il. 'lhe process of producing a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging the saine, which cons s in making the form or mold from a gelatin solution containing acetic acid, then subjecting the same lo a liquid bath adapted to enlarge said toi-m or mold, and

linally hardening the same with an alum solution containing acetic acid; substantially as set forth.

4. The process of producing a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging the same, which consists in making the form or mold from a solution .containing gelatin, gum tragacanth and acetic acid, and

then subjecting the same to a liquid bath adapted to enlarge said form or mold; substantially as set forth.

5. The process of producing a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging the same, which consists in making the form or mold from a solution containing gelatin, gum tragacanth and acetic acid, then subjecting the same to a liquid bat-li adapted to enlarge said torni or mold, and finally hardening the same; substantially as set forth.

G, The process ol' producing a gelatin form or mold `from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging the same, which consists in making the form or mold from a solution containing gelatin, gum tragacanth and acetic acid, then subjecting the same to a liquid bath adapted to enlarge said form or mold, and finally hardening the same with an alum solution containing acetic acid; substantially as set l'orth.

7. The process of producing a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern, which consists in making the form or mold from a gelatin solution, and finally hardening the same with a solution of alum containing acetic acid, whereby a uniform hardening without distorting the form is secured; substantially as set forth. V

S. rlhe process ol' producing' a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern, which consists in making the lorm or mold from a solution containing gelatin and gum tragacanth, whereby the capacity of the form or mold for enlargement in a water-bath is increased; substantially as set l'orth.

l). The process of producing a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging thc` saine, which consists in making the form or mold from a gelatin solution in which is incorporated a limited quantity of an acid which is a solvent: of gelatin, then subjecting the form or mold to a water bath, and finally hardening the same; substantially as set forth.

10. 'lhe process oi producing a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging the same, which consists in making the form or mold from a gelatin solution `in which is incorporated a limited quan tity of an acid which is a solvent of gelatin, then subjecting the form or mold to a water bath, and linally hardening the same with a hardening solution containingl a sol vent of gelatin to counteract any contracting effect of the solution, whereby a uniform hardening' without distortion is secured; substantially as set forth.

l1. The process of producing a gelatin form or mold from a model or pattern and proportionately enlarging the same, which consists in making the form or mold from a gelatin solution in which is incorporated a limited quantity of an acid which is a solvent of gelatin, then subjecting the form or mold to a water bath, and linally hardening the same with an alum solution containing acetic acid; substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county and State of New York this 21st day of February A. D. 1905.

AUGUST LEUCHTER.

Witnesses z ARTHUR Manrox, (Imis. C. Ginn. 

